“It’s so interesting because you make friends with people your own age and then also have a 75-year-old bestie named Arnold.”

"This is absolutely a case of field-expedient repairs being key to success. For most things, though, repair isn't even an option anymore. Appliances, phones, TVs — the parts generally cost as much as the device itself, making repair a waste of time. Even most of the power tools I carry on my truck (minus my hydraulic crimpers) are going to be replaced if they have issues, just due to the fact that if I can't use it, I can't do my job."

"We have really lost a sense of community in a lot of places. I remember huge block parties in the neighbourhood growing up. I knew all of our neighbours and socialised with them all the time, even if it was just everybody sitting in lawn chairs in the front garden. I barely know my neighbours' names now."

"A couple of years back, I joined a gym to try getting in shape and hopefully make a few friends. In months of going, I barely got eye contact from anyone, let alone a smile. Friends? Forget it. I ended up binning the membership off.

I decided to start swimming recently. In three trips in the first week, I had conversations with several people. They aren't friends yet, but give it time; maybe they could be acquaintances at least.

I'd like to socialise, but finding people who want to be social can be difficult."

"I send my friends' children postcards whenever I go somewhere. They're only 2–5 years old, so I make it short and sweet, telling them about the adventures I've been on and the wildlife I've seen. Kids love getting mail, and my friends can also see what I've been up to without having to check social media. It also gives my friends a good reason to sit down with the kids, read, and discuss.

Postcards cost pennies, but they are greatly appreciated."

"At least they weren't 30 years ago when I was in secondary school where I live. I think they kind of did away with them when people stopped really writing cheques and no longer needed to balance their own bank accounts because of the internet, but there's so much more that goes into being an adult and taking care of your 'home', like personal finances, how to buy groceries, the basics of cooking, etc.

My parents didn't teach me that at home, and I obviously didn't learn it at school, and now I'm fucking useless and my house is a disaster. I'm trying very hard to learn how to stay within my budget. It wasn't until I went to university and had a finance class that the finance professor taught us so much more about the stock market and how to pay off your mortgage faster. If it wasn't for him, nobody would have taught me that."

Additional thumbnail credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, The CW